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Being Present Minded

Being Present-Minded

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead

Matthew 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble”

An important lesson we learn as the kingdom of heaven, God’s Spirit, grows within us is to be present-minded. Being present-minded is not living in the past that is done and gone or the unknown future of our imagination. It’s not holding onto the negative situations and people of the past and it isn’t worrying about those in the future. It’s a state of mind of being in the present moment and trusting ALL to God, the Faithful Shepherd. It’s knowing He is at perfect work in our lives performing ALL things for us. Psalm 57:2

With the past gone and the future unknown, the only part of our existence that is real is right now. If we let God work and embrace what He is doing NOW by not holding onto a dead past or dwelling in an unknown future, the fruit of the present will be of God’s power and presence.

This present-mindedness is what God calls us to. He tells us forget the past. It’s gone. He tells us not to worry about the future. It’s in His hands. He cares for us as the perfect Father. If we put our trust in Him, He will not let us down. If we are truly seeking His truth and will, we can trust His spirit is guiding us. Our circumstances may not work out as we expected, but they will work out for our best and the best for others. Even for the difficult seasons, hindsight reveals the perfection of God’s ways and timing. Our spirits are in His faithful care.

Importance of Trust and Rest

Our path to present-mindedness is one of rest and faithfully doing what He has called us to today. We are to trust in His power to work in and through us in ALL circumstances. This state of mind is a central aspect of resting in God as He calls us to; a rest that comes from trusting in God to be God in our lives. Hebrews 4:10-11

Once we are God’s, our lives are no longer our own. We belong to God. What better One to be in charge of our lives than God? 1 Corin 6:20 With God in control, we never know what the next minute will bring. His ways aren’t our ways. It’s a waste of energy and time trying to figure everything out and why our expectations failed – they were our plans and not God’s. They weren’t the best for us; we have to let them go. We can mistakenly misread our plans that didn’t work out as we expected to be God not working or not caring. Neither is true. He performs all things for us and cares more than we can understand – that is why life isn’t going as we want at the time. Therefore, each day we rely on His perfect care as He determines. Instead of trying to control and worry, we rest and trust. This is the obedience God calls us to. This state of peace is His desire for us.

Commit your ways to the Lord and He will establish your paths. When you understand your limitations to discern what is truly good and best, you will rejoice in not being in control and God determining your steps.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding

Psalm 34:4-5 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.

How Do I Gain Present-Mindedness?

Have you tried to be present-minded? It sounds good letting go of the unknown future and our screws ups and pains of the past, but is it realistic?

Being present-minded requires trust. Trust comes from intimately knowing God. Psalm 9:10 This element is something we can affect because God wants us to know Him. Our knowing of God grows as we spend time in the Bible being taught by the Holy Spirit. As we seek God in our daily experiences; seeking His wisdom, instruction and counsel, our understanding grows. As we seek to know Him through His creation, our knowledge of His ways deepens. In time, we come to intimately know God as He desires us to. We come to know God as the perfect Father and thus become the trusting child.

As we continue the life long practice of each morning renewing our minds in THE Truth and spending time drawing near to God, trust and rest are the fruit and present-mindedness follows. In His presence, He frees us from our past, binds up our wounds and we carry only the lessons forward. We let go of trying to control as we realize it is an illusion that binds us and keeps His power from flowing through our lives.

Rely on God’s strength for what He has called you to do today, and leave tomorrow to itself. Have no confidence in the flesh; your abilities to accomplish all you desire. Hope in God’s mercy that reaches to the heavens. Psalm 57:10 Wait on Him. His timing and methods are perfect, you can trust them. Act faithfully as He leads, not second guessing, doubting and complaining – for it is only against God you complain. Feed on His faithfulness. Faithfully do what He has called you to do today and leave the results and expectations up to Him. Psalm 62:5


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Reworking our Mindsets to be Spirit-Led

Reworking our Mindsets

to be Spirit-Led

 

For the past couple of months the Holy Spirit has been teaching me various mindsets to have in order to be able to listen and follow to Him throughout the day. When we learn to listen and follow the Spirit, our lives become truly powerful as we are consciously connected to Him, operate according to His will not ours, and act in His strength not ours.

Celebrate Each Day

The first mindset the Spirit taught me is to celebrate each day because it’s the only one we have. We will never have the opportunities we have today to love, give, learn, impact someone’s life and so on. We are to enjoy, embrace, and share what we have been given. We can’t go back and repeat a day, what we make of it is what it will forever be, and what we do today affects tomorrow. When you consider the impact and finality of a day, it’s amazing most of us live like we can repeat them. Today is what’s real, which leads me to the next lesson learned.

Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Stay in the Day

In my early twenties I tried to live by the phrase, live in the moment. Back then, it meant to enjoy each day and not get caught up in the past or future. But the Spirit’s recent instruction brought a bit of a different slant and importance to this mindset. When we are in the moment or stay in the day, as a friend calls it, we are more connected to the Spirit because that is where the Spirit is, therefore that is how we have a spirit-lead life. When our mind is elsewhere we aren’t engaged with Him and not listening to His voice and instruction, which is what we need to live by. 2 Corinthians 10:5, 1 John 2:27

The past is done and the future is unknown, but many of us live in one or both of these places mentally and emotionally. The past does affect our current moments because what we experienced and choose put us where we are today, but too often we are bounded by it. And one common way is through un-forgiveness. For years I had un-forgiveness in the form of “justified anger and pain” from things that happened in the past; it plagued my days sucking true life from them. When we don’t forgive someone and harbor ill-will against them, then that affects our current decisions, mindset and health. Un-forgiveness is a thief of life, freedom and joy. But how do we forgive truly? For many years I wanted to forgive but couldn’t. We forgive by the power of God working in us. As I cried out to God, He brought forgiveness into the depths of my soul, it was a process.

Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

The flip side is dwelling in the worries of an unknown future. (Blog I wrote on worry, Irrational Worry )We get caught up in worry about what might happen that we live this present moment in a future that doesn’t exist and that also is a rancid thief. There is a balance between being responsible and making good decisions that affect the future, and being consumed with worry about it. The former comes from a mindset of trust the other from fear. To overcome consuming worry requires trust in God, the One who is sovereign over everything. Trusting God is the fruit of cultivating a relationship with Him. Only by spending time getting to really know Him, can we truly trust Him. When we do the worry begins to cease and trust takes over; trust in Him, His love for us and His promises. We need to be listening to the Spirit, not worrying.

Matthew 6:24 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

When we stay in the day, then we can attune to the Spirit’s active leading. When we engage Him it changes what happens in our lives as His direction is perfect and complete for us. Take time to invite the Spirit into your thought processes.

Mindset of Praise

The third mindset is to be praise-oriented, which means to praise God throughout the day for Him, His promises, the things around us, and so on. This mindset is the ultimate worship of God, because it is real, true, heart-felt, and active.

This mindset isn’t about denial of what’s happening. It’s looking at a situation from a different perspective. For example, many are in the midst of a financial trial. This type of trial is a tremendous test and refinement of trust in God’s ways not ours, His provision, and sovereignty. We can either dwell in the mindset of being frustrated and complaining, or recognize God’s control and work, God taking care of our present needs, and seeking the Spirit’s counsel. Praise isn’t to be forced or contrived, but real. God cares about the heart. And praise without denial glorifies God. It shows we know Him, trust Him that He is faithful to do what He promises. It reveals we understand His perfect love for us and working in our lives. To gain a heart of praise comes from truly knowing Him and trusting in Him and His promises.

When God is our God there is always a reason to praise because of His love and care for us. We may not feel that in the moment, but our feelings aren’t reality. They are the sum of a whole host of things. The truth is the former.

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

Connecting the Three Mindsets

A praise mindset helps us to celebrate each day and to stay in the day (so that we can be spirit-lead) because we are aware and thankful for what is right before us. We are outward focused not self-absorbed and therefore more readily available to listen to and be used by God.

Considering these new mindsets, how do you change your thought patterns? Have you ever tried? It’s very difficult on our own. We don’t do it; God does it in us. When God instructs us, and we heed His instruction then He enables us. God rewires our brains. He has done it many times in me. Our part is to pray and keep these truths always before us. Acts 5:32

Through this instruction, I realized how much I’ve missed out on by living in the past or living in the future. I realized how ineffective I’ve been by being absorbed in those and not listening to the Spirit because my mind was busy somewhere else. Those are powerful motivators to drive me forward in what the Spirit has taught me. God is amazing in how perfectly He instructs and leads us to walking in the abundant life He came to give.

These are some powerful New Years resolutions to consider if you’re looking for some.

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